63-year-old becomes oldest known woman to give birth

April 23, 1997
Web posted at: 9:40 p.m. EDT

LOS ANGELES (CNN) -- A 63-year-old woman who lied about her age in order to be eligible for fertility treatment gave birth late last year to a healthy baby daughter -- making her the oldest woman on record to give birth, doctors said Wednesday.

The woman delivered the 6-pound, 4-ounce baby girl by Caesarean section after undergoing in-vitro fertilization at the University of Southern California's clinic. The woman's 60-year-old husband provided the sperm and the eggs were donated.

Dr. Richard Paulson, director of USC's Program for Assisted Reproduction, said that when the woman first approached doctors, she claimed to be 50 years old. She was, in fact, 60 at the time and did not become pregnant for three more years.

"Had the individual disclosed her actual age ... she would not have qualified for treatment at USC, since the program uses an arbitrary upper age limit of 55 for women seeking fertility therapy," the program said in a statement.

Doctors did not learn the woman's true age until the end of her first trimester.

The woman, whose identity was not disclosed, is a Southern California resident. She and her husband have been married 16 years and have no other children.

The woman is believed to be the oldest ever to give birth. Doctors in Italy previously reported a successful pregnancy in a 62-year-old woman.